I've been denying it for a long time now, but it's time to admit it - he's gotten worse :o . Last year he was a monster :worship: . Now he's good, but not as good as last year :confused: .

He used to serve incredibly on important points. Now he can't do that really anymore. I remember in his match against david nalbandian in AO2004, he was down 15-40 on his own serve, and he came up with 4 aces in a row :worship: . I think he did something like that in toronto against roddick in the finals last year too. He is WELL below that serving capacity right now :mad: . I'm not saying that he should be acing all the time on important points, but at least he should WIN those service points, but he fails to do that a lot more than he used to :confused: .

Federer used to be a lot more fluid and smooth :cool: . He's still incredibly fluid now, but definitely not as much as last year. Now a lot of times, he's trying to hit too hard so it becomes a more sudden shot. Notice now that he's too sharp with his swings. He sets up, freezes, then he whips the ball unnaturally fast. I think that's also the reason why he shanks so many more balls than he used to. Before, he would swing at the ball not as fast but rely more on his forward movement for power. He also wouldn't take as much time to pause his stroke before the shot nor to set up. More often he would run quickly to the shot while already starting his swing and not take so much time to set up. The result was a much more fluid and just as intimidating game. Last year I'm sure he focused more on the fluidity of his game than his power, and then the power took care of itself. He's certainly hitting it harder now, but I think his smoothness was definitely one of the keys to his game, and he's neglecting that now :mad: .

I think his quest to get even better has gone wrong. He should've stuck to what he was doing before. I'm thinking maybe he's practicing his volleys and dropshots too much and neglecting his other shots :confused: . He doesn't hit them as precisely as he used to. I remember when he played Tim Henman in the Pacific Life 2004 in the finals, oh man was he exact :eek: ! He would grab the sharp angle while hitting an inside out DOWN THE LINE forehand. He would run around and hit a forehand, it'd land inside the corner of the service box on the DEUCE side, and curve away off the court! ON A RUN AROUND! :worship: He did that so many times and with such conviction. Now he doesn't hit as accurately as consistently. He's become a little more jerky in his footwork and strokes than he used to. I know it's a problem with his focus: He's focusing on power more than fluidity now, and it's really backfiring on him. Maybe it might be because he's working on his volleys and neglecting his groundies and serves. Maybe it's that temporary coach Tony Roche that disrupted the balance. Maybe it's the change in his hairstyle, since I noticed this change coincided with the change in his game ;) . Who knows what it is, but I hope Federer fixes the problem and gets back on track before it's too late. He needs to recognize this problem and realize that there was nothing wrong with what he was doing before. But if he doesn't, I hope what he's doing now will work out in the end. I should be his coach ;)

bad gambler

04-16-2005, 07:31 AM

YTD singles record 35-2
Tournament wins 5

what do you want him to do, win every single match he plays?

tennis_spider

04-16-2005, 07:32 AM

WTF is all this ?? :o

...........GET OVER THIS CRAPOLA .........

He lost ...SIMPLE. He was in winning position but in Tie-Break anything can happen

You guys are crazy.Fu@k

BHH1988

04-16-2005, 07:33 AM

well he's obviously still the best guy on tour rnow I'm not denying that. But I'm not comparing him to the rest of em. I'm comparing him to what he used to be and he used to be better.

drf716

04-16-2005, 07:34 AM

i wouldn't want to be your child hehe

bad gambler

04-16-2005, 07:34 AM

i wouldn't want to be your child hehe

:haha:

tennis_spider

04-16-2005, 07:35 AM

well he's obviously still the best guy on tour rnow I'm not denying that. But I'm not comparing him to the rest of em. I'm comparing him to what he used to be and he used to be better.

OK he is GOD ...

....No one remains same ....Law Of Life...... :o

Federerhingis

04-16-2005, 07:36 AM

YTD singles record 35-2
Tournament wins 5

what do you want him to do, win every single match he plays?

Cough Cough, really, Now if he did win everything this forum would go dead or perhaps be filled with the Federer's dominance is so boring. Lets get a grip people the man is human, clay is his weakest surface and by the way hes not the only good tennis player out there, hes just a better player most of the time when at the big tournies, especially finals.

JeNn

04-16-2005, 07:38 AM

Let's face it, he is a hack this year :devil:

Art&Soul

04-16-2005, 07:45 AM

It seems ppl are getting addicted to Roger nowadays, when he keep winning there's a tons of thread about him and when he just lost one match the same amount of threads going on :D Yeah i know he's the GOD :)

Becarina

04-16-2005, 07:49 AM

he should quit ;)

Pink Panther

04-16-2005, 07:51 AM

For heav's sake, didn't he have 3 mps against Gasquet?

A defeat once in a while doesn't take away the fact that he's still the player to beat. :rolleyes:

Not unless you consider him invincible of course. :o

El Legenda

04-16-2005, 07:56 AM

Some people are idiots..

El Legenda

04-16-2005, 07:57 AM

he should quit ;)

yea..losing 2 matchs in 4 months...just bad...

Becarina

04-16-2005, 07:58 AM

yea..losing 2 matchs in 4 months...just bad...

what a travesty! He should quit and go home to play with his cow ;)

bad gambler

04-16-2005, 07:59 AM

cow's name is daisy isn't it?

Kristen

04-16-2005, 08:01 AM

Damn you Roger!
What a loser. He should be winning every tournament he enters. EVEN CLAY.
Should have quit while you were ahead Roger! :haha:

Ahh what a joke. Roger is awesome, and it's refreshing to see him lose occasionally. Nice work by Richard :yeah:

yanchr

04-16-2005, 08:01 AM

I really have to :haha: at all those popping up threads here with the titles 'Federer blah blah blah' ....'Federer blah blah blah'...and 'Federer blah blah blah'

No wonder he said he felt a lot of pressure on him. Poor Roger :bigcry:

Pls just give him a break :rolleyes:

Kristen

04-16-2005, 08:02 AM

(BG: Juliette)

Becarina

04-16-2005, 08:04 AM

I really have to :haha: at all those popping up threads here with the titles 'Federer blah blah blah' ....'Federer blah blah blah'...and 'Federer blah blah blah'

No wonder he said he felt a lot of pressure on him. Poor Roger :bigcry:

Pls just give him a break :rolleyes:

because he reads this board all the time?

Jeff

04-16-2005, 08:08 AM

Federer lost yet his second match already this year. Damb he sucks :p Honestly I think his loss to Gasquet means less to him or anyone else, compared to if he lost to a top player.

yanchr

04-16-2005, 08:21 AM

because he reads this board all the time?
He should've retired if he really gave it a shit here all the time :rolleyes:

NYCtennisfan

04-16-2005, 08:25 AM

Hmmmmm.......he is 35-2 and had match points in both of his losses. Since last August, he has lost 2 times. Twice in 8 months. Think about that please.

BHH1988

04-16-2005, 08:42 AM

Wow you guys really misunderstood what I said. I think all of you are assuming that I'm just acting treacherous to federer after his loss to Gasquet. First of all, I don't think I mentioned Richard Gasquet or any of Federer's losses at all in my explanation for why I think he's getting worse. I was not referring to the matches he lost recently, cause that'd only be two matches. I'm comparing the Federer of last year to the Federer of this year. That includes all his wins this year too! But just because he's winning, doesn't mean he's the same. I say he's playing worse this year than he did last year. Obviously it's still good enough to get the job done, but I never said it wasn't! And again, i didn't mention his loss to Richard Gasquet once. :confused:

As a matter of fact, I'm a fervid supporter of Federer, and I never lose faith in him. In fact, I think you guys are not giving the right kind of support for Federer. If you really did admire Federer, you wouldn't be so concerned with these silly numbers like 35-2 or with the black and white question of whether he won or lost. Watch him play! I NEVER miss an opportunity to see Federer play, and that's how I recognized the difference between this year and last year. You guys are so concerned with Federer in respect to everyone else. That tells me that if Federer like drops his ranking or something, you guys'll probably drop your support, since all you guys look at in Federer is his position in relation to everyone else. Well I'm not talking to ALL you guys but looking at these replies, it looks like nearly all of you guys are taking that attitude. I'm looking at Federer, and Federer alone. Federer in 2005 and Federer in 2004. Unlike you guys, what pleases me more than his winning is to see his game develop for the better. I don't see how you can get more supportive than that.

NATAS81

04-16-2005, 08:57 AM

To say Federer "is getting worse" is like saying "Allen Iverson is getting worse because he put up 26 points instead of his usual 29 and above against most teams".

Roger has lost both of his matches in the deciding set. That is not to be considered a weak performance, at best. His ability to finish matches as well are being unfairly misjudged on this board by some as well.

Given the astounding number of matches in which he has indeed finished off, the ratio is heavily in favor of the head-banded one.

A ratio that holds him comfortably in the cat bird seat atop the world of tennis.

Does anybody know the number of players registered on the ATP Tour?

That is your answer to how many ATP tennis players wish to have their skills classified as "getting worse".

Federerhingis

04-16-2005, 08:59 AM

To say Federer "is getting worse" is like saying "Allen Iverson is getting worse because he put up 26 points instead of his usual 29 and above against most teams".

Roger has lost both of his matches in the deciding set. That is not to be considered a weak performance, at best. His ability to finish matches as well are being unfairly misjudged on this board by some as well.

Given the astounding number of matches in which he has indeed finished off, the ratio is heavily in favor of the head-banded one.

A ratio that holds him comfortably in the cat bird seat atop the world of tennis.

Does anybody know the number of players registered on the ATP Tour?

That is your answer to how many ATP tennis players wish to have their skills classified as "getting worse".

Bingo! I mean really! :rolleyes:

BHH1988

04-16-2005, 09:09 AM

Very dumb people out there if they can't even differentiate between the words "worse" and "bad". Now tell me smart ones, did I say he was bad? :confused: Maybe you guys didn't really read what I said back there except the topic. You guys can write, but can you read? Are you reading this? :retard:

Becarina

04-16-2005, 09:17 AM

Very dumb people out there if they can't even differentiate between the words "worse" and "bad". Now tell me smart ones, did I say he was bad? :confused: Maybe you guys didn't really read what I said back there except the topic. You guys can write, but can you read? Are you reading this? :retard:

I chose not to. And no, I do not beleive he is getting "worse". That will happen when Andy beats him the next 6 times ;)

Yasmine

04-16-2005, 09:39 AM

For heav's sake, didn't he have 3 mps against Gasquet?

A defeat once in a while doesn't take away the fact that he's still the player to beat. :rolleyes:
:yeah: exactly! and he's human ;)
I am not sure what is the fuss in this thread about. BHH who started it says she/he noticed a change in Federer's game compared to last year. Nothing wrong with that... Actually I think it shows that she's a real tennis fans and puts the game before any other consideration. :worship: :angel:

JeLuliA88

04-16-2005, 09:57 AM

One loss does not make him less than what he was... he is human afterall.

lsy

04-16-2005, 09:58 AM

BHH, at least you make some points here but the thing is yes Federer is a great player, and we're excited to see him with his game, but it's not easy to be keep playing tennis at that high level. I mean look at his performance at USO final last year, how often can he play like such? Are we going to say Federer's level is dropping, he's not improving becuase he's not playing like in USO final even though he's winning? I think that's ridiculous.

Maybe his road has been a bit rough this year than last, but at the meantime it might have to do with him losing AO does affect his confidence a bit, also players are inspired to play a great match vs him and beat him. That's all different type of pressures and situation he has to face this year than last.

I don't know how many matches you had watched this year of Federer, I actually did see him improve in certain aspect, such as his bh passing shots, he had been consistently hitting winners out of it from the last few tournaments where there're times last year, he will hit more errors there more often than not. Besides it isn't all rosy in 2004 too, there are many matches which his game crumbled, e.g. in Toronto, he was mishitting almost every shot in the early rounds and not till the final, he found his form. I also think he's actually playing better on clay this year as a start than he did last year in Rome, so that's an improvement for me.

You can be right, maybe he shouldn't have changed this or should have sticked to doing that, but who knows? Maybe if he didn't, other players will catch up too. 2004 is over, moving forward is whole different story. I see him hiring Roche as the sign that he knows there're things he needs to improve, and I don't see how that's a bad move being justified yet considering he's still delivering results consistently.

Smankyou

04-16-2005, 09:59 AM

WTF is all this ?? :o

...........GET OVER THIS CRAPOLA .........

He lost ...SIMPLE. He was in winning position but in Tie-Break anything can happen

You guys are crazy.Fu@k
I'll tell you what's crazy... you have over a thousand posts and this is the first time I've ever seen you.

Hi, I'm Smankyou. It's nice to meet you.

Sjengster

04-16-2005, 11:08 AM

I did think at the AO he was making a conscious decision to move forward more under Roche's guidance and maybe the rest of his game suffered a little bit for it, but I don't see any significant drop in the quality of his game this year. He still produces at least three startling points per match, and as for the charge that he is mishitting too much this year - have you followed his career for that long? He has ALWAYS mishit balls on every surface but especially on clay, his last two losses in Rome were virtually shanking clinics. In fact, as Isy says I was impressed with his transition to clay this year; maybe not the toughest first couple of rounds, but he didn't play a poor match until yesterday and even then that was an issue of mental fatigue, I think, rather than a problem with the surface. Oh yes, and Gasquet. The man across the net, he does exist even in Federer's matches.

jes_021

04-16-2005, 12:24 PM

hhhhmmmm if only I could play as bad as Fed is playing lately. I would quit my studies and job immediately. ;) :angel:
And don't forget, the guy has been playing a lot. It's pretty normal to get a bit tired and play a little less although you can hardly notice it. :worship:

sigmagirl91

04-16-2005, 12:47 PM

well he's obviously still the best guy on tour rnow I'm not denying that. But I'm not comparing him to the rest of em. I'm comparing him to what he used to be and he used to be better.

Actually, I think Federer is much better than he used to be, yesterday's result notwithstanding. What do you want him to do, win everything? If he did, this thread would have no meaning or purpose.
Why is it, when Federer loses, people come up with uselesss threads like these?
"Federer getting worse"? Sure, if you think having two losses on the year is considered "getting worse". I'm sure most players would give anything to be "worse".

Nacho

04-16-2005, 12:51 PM

HE IS NOT GETTING WORSE, OTHER PLAYERS ARE GETTING BETTER, WHICH IS VERY DIFFERENT

Sorry for the caps, I had to say that :p

sigmagirl91

04-16-2005, 12:53 PM

Hmmmmm.......he is 35-2 and had match points in both of his losses. Since last August, he has lost 2 times. Twice in 8 months. Think about that please.

I'm sure other players were in similar situations, so your argument has no merit. Next illogical argument, please.........

WyveN

04-16-2005, 12:54 PM

Well at least you backed up your points but you have ignored the parts of Rogers game that have improved. He is volleying far better this year, his backhand is getting better all the time and I feel he is also constructing points better.

As has been mentioned his first week on clay in Rome last year was far uglier then in MC this week and despite yesterdays loss, I think Roger is heading in the right direction on clay.

Billabong

04-16-2005, 01:13 PM

yep, and like Nacho said, I do feel that the competition is stronger than last year.. Federer even noticed it, that some players are way more aggressive than they were, and now everyone develop their game more and more, after they saw what Rogi can do;).. It's becoming tougher for Fed, but hey, he's doing an AWESOME job, losing only 2 matches this year and only one before the clay season:eek: Don't forget last year he lost early in Rome to Costa too;)..

Billabong

04-16-2005, 01:13 PM

And yeah, I also noticed that his volleys are way better than last year:) !

uNIVERSE mAN

04-16-2005, 03:32 PM

fuck all you haters! He's a human being, how come I never have to hear this shit when Safin tanks every week?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!

mitalidas

04-16-2005, 03:35 PM

this is so dumb
last year he lost to unknowns, lower ranked players --berdych, hrbaty,
so what is the big deal that he loses to gasquet
gasquet played the match of his life

I've been denying it for a long time now, but it's time to admit it - he's gotten worse :o . Last year he was a monster :worship: . Now he's good, but not as good as last year :confused: .

He used to serve incredibly on important points. Now he can't do that really anymore. I remember in his match against david nalbandian in AO2004, he was down 15-40 on his own serve, and he came up with 4 aces in a row :worship: . I think he did something like that in toronto against roddick in the finals last year too. He is WELL below that serving capacity right now :mad: . I'm not saying that he should be acing all the time on important points, but at least he should WIN those service points, but he fails to do that a lot more than he used to :confused: .

Federer used to be a lot more fluid and smooth :cool: . He's still incredibly fluid now, but definitely not as much as last year. Now a lot of times, he's trying to hit too hard so it becomes a more sudden shot. Notice now that he's too sharp with his swings. He sets up, freezes, then he whips the ball unnaturally fast. I think that's also the reason why he shanks so many more balls than he used to. Before, he would swing at the ball not as fast but rely more on his forward movement for power. He also wouldn't take as much time to pause his stroke before the shot nor to set up. More often he would run quickly to the shot while already starting his swing and not take so much time to set up. The result was a much more fluid and just as intimidating game. Last year I'm sure he focused more on the fluidity of his game than his power, and then the power took care of itself. He's certainly hitting it harder now, but I think his smoothness was definitely one of the keys to his game, and he's neglecting that now :mad: .

I think his quest to get even better has gone wrong. He should've stuck to what he was doing before. I'm thinking maybe he's practicing his volleys and dropshots too much and neglecting his other shots :confused: . He doesn't hit them as precisely as he used to. I remember when he played Tim Henman in the Pacific Life 2004 in the finals, oh man was he exact :eek: ! He would grab the sharp angle while hitting an inside out DOWN THE LINE forehand. He would run around and hit a forehand, it'd land inside the corner of the service box on the DEUCE side, and curve away off the court! ON A RUN AROUND! :worship: He did that so many times and with such conviction. Now he doesn't hit as accurately as consistently. He's become a little more jerky in his footwork and strokes than he used to. I know it's a problem with his focus: He's focusing on power more than fluidity now, and it's really backfiring on him. Maybe it might be because he's working on his volleys and neglecting his groundies and serves. Maybe it's that temporary coach Tony Roche that disrupted the balance. Maybe it's the change in his hairstyle, since I noticed this change coincided with the change in his game ;) . Who knows what it is, but I hope Federer fixes the problem and gets back on track before it's too late. He needs to recognize this problem and realize that there was nothing wrong with what he was doing before. But if he doesn't, I hope what he's doing now will work out in the end. I should be his coach ;)

ys

04-16-2005, 03:50 PM

YTD singles record 35-2
Tournament wins 5

what do you want him to do, win every single match he plays?

YTD Slams won:0

The only number that matters for a player of his caliber.

I would allow that he is getting worse because of spreading himself too thin by playing tons of junk tournaments.

Rogiman

04-16-2005, 03:52 PM

YTD Slams won:0

The only number that matters for a player of his caliber.

I would allow that he is getting worse because of spreading himself too thin by playing tons of junk tournaments.

Thanks for showing yp, Einstein! :rolleyes:

mitalidas

04-16-2005, 03:53 PM

YTD Slams won:0

The only number that matters for a player of his caliber.

I would allow that he is getting worse because of spreading himself too thin by playing tons of junk tournaments.

YTD Slams contested: 1 (losting AO doesn't put him, yet, any different from losting FO last year)
He has played fewer tournaments this year than last year at this point

ys

04-16-2005, 04:05 PM

YTD Slams contested: 1 (losting AO doesn't put him, yet, any different from losting FO last year)
He has played fewer tournaments this year than last year at this point

It doesn't matter.. He is playing more tennis. He is burning out.

That's the fact that the best claycourters tend to play every week on clay because it is their chance to earn their points and money as they are not making many on other surfaces. And as a result they are burnt out and exhausted come Roland Garros. Coria last year. Ferrero in 2002. And some mediocrity who never really did anything anywhere else ended up winning the 3rd greatest tournament in the world. Absolutely the same would have happened to Ferrero in 2003 too, but he got helped by getting injured in Rome. That gave him 15 days of rest, and that was enough for him to recharge the batteries before RG, become mentally fresh again first of all.

That's why I think that this year Marat is going to win RG. Because he learnt from the past, he'll take it seriously and he definitely wont' overextend himself in clay season.. :lol:

Experimentee

04-16-2005, 04:07 PM

He is not saying Fed is abad player, just that he is not as good as last year. I disagree with that btw. I watched his amtch against Hewitt in the US Open final, and his matches at the AO this year, and from seeing that I think his AO form was better. He was just against a red hot Safin who had a lot more weapons than Hewitt and blew him off the court. And as it has been mentioned, he shanks a lot less balls than he used to. He is improving, and so far his start to 2005 was better than his start to 2004, apart from not winning the AO.

mitalidas

04-16-2005, 06:40 PM

agree with experimentee
(except the part about being "blown off court by Marat" --he lost 9-7, in a fifth, that's hardly being blown off court)

mickymouse

04-16-2005, 06:54 PM

Two losses this year so far, and both in deciding sets, which were pushed all the way to the final point, with him getting a couple of MPs in the process....I should think it's now even more difficult to beat him than last year when he actually lost in straight sets to lower ranked players.

tennischick

04-16-2005, 07:02 PM

YTD singles record 35-2
Tournament wins 5

what do you want him to do, win every single match he plays?
:worship: we expect sooooooooooo much from these guys it's ridiculous.

in a way i'm glad he lost. the folks at Bob Larson were implying that he had been forced to appear in Monte Carlo. which means that he needs some rest. i'd rather see him fresh for Roland Garros. i'm keeping the faith baby :kiss:

tangerine_dream

04-16-2005, 07:05 PM

Even though Roger seems to be having more brain farts lately and isn't looking nearly as confident as he did during his vintage 2004 year, he's still on the same track as he was this time last year: 2 losses in four months. Not bad. And I can't imagine he'll be going slamless this year, either. :)

Skyward

04-16-2005, 07:07 PM

It doesn't matter.. He is playing more tennis. He is burning out.

What do you suggest? Tank first round matches, fake some injures and run away with appearance money?

In_Disguise

04-16-2005, 07:07 PM

On clay, Fed is always vulnerable, with so many clay court specialists being able to rally with him from the back...and it's very hard for any shot maker to 'hit through' the clay, only a handful of players can do that successfully - Safin being one

tennischick

04-16-2005, 07:09 PM

What do you suggest? Tank first round matches, fake some injures and run away with appearance money?
that was mean. funny as hell but mean :devil:

World Beater

04-16-2005, 07:18 PM

nothing out of the ordinary, there are a few that subscribe to that philosophy

World Beater

04-16-2005, 07:23 PM

On clay, Fed is always vulnerable, with so many clay court specialists being able to rally with him from the back...and it's very hard for any shot maker to 'hit through' the clay, only a handful of players can do that successfully - Safin being one

Its not hitting through the clay that is tough. What differentiates safin is his movement. Verkerk is a huge hitter with minimal success on other surfaces, but he moves great on clay and he has good shot selection considering his body type. He knows he has to go for it, as he doesnt want to run all day.

The other big hitters are either hit/or miss style players or they just cant move on the surface. You would think Gonzo would have minimal success because he isnt patient, but he can move on the surface which is why he has success.

ys

04-16-2005, 07:25 PM

What do you suggest? Tank first round matches, fake some injures and run away with appearance money?

Exactly. Or withdraw. He doesn't have a firepower of Sampras who could win matches spending like 10 minutes of play on court. His game is more energy consuming.

World Beater

04-16-2005, 07:34 PM

Exactly. Or withdraw. He doesn't have a firepower of Sampras who could win matches spending like 10 minutes of play on court. His game is more energy consuming.

Firepower? I dont think sampras hits the ball any harder than federer on the serve. Pete's forehand by nature was a flat shot and hence had more heat, but its not a good shot on the clay, as it tends to be low percentage.

Sampras could rely on the great serve, and much of the time would hit winners off the forehand(he would just go for it). Federer just plays a different style. He hits with more spin.

I assume you were talking about sampras on faster surfaces, as all his matches at RG were battles. He lost to flip in the first round in 5 and another loss to schaller in 5.

Skyward

04-16-2005, 07:34 PM

Exactly. Or withdraw. He doesn't have a firepower of Sampras who could win matches spending like 10 minutes of play on court. His game is more energy consuming.

His matches are rarely long. Powerful serves and groundstrokes do take a lot of energy out of the body. You just don't notice it sitting on your comfortable couch. :devil:

In_Disguise

04-16-2005, 07:36 PM

Its not hitting through the clay that is tough. What differentiates safin is his movement. Verkerk is a huge hitter with minimal success on other surfaces, but he moves great on clay and he has good shot selection considering his body type. He knows he has to go for it, as he doesnt want to run all day.

The other big hitters are either hit/or miss style players or they just cant move on the surface. You would think Gonzo would have minimal success because he isnt patient, but he can move on the surface which is why he has success.

Safin can move on the surface as well. he actually was brought on the spanish clay courts and said recently RG has always been his goal throughout his career

Dirk

04-16-2005, 07:58 PM

On clay, Fed is always vulnerable, with so many clay court specialists being able to rally with him from the back...and it's very hard for any shot maker to 'hit through' the clay, only a handful of players can do that successfully - Safin being one

He has done pretty damn well for always being Vulnerable. 4 titles and 2 of them are TMS events. His 4 titles all came before his 23rd birthday. He has a better career on clay than Marat. He is not always vulnerable on the stuff, yes a very good clay player could test him but all in al Roger is one of the top players on this surface.

World Beater

04-16-2005, 08:03 PM

He has done pretty damn well for always being Vulnerable. 4 titles and 2 of them are TMS events. His 4 titles all came before his 23rd birthday. He has a better career on clay than Marat. He is not always vulnerable on the stuff, yes a very good clay player could test him but all in al Roger is one of the top players on this surface.

He means relatively vulnerable. Federer may not have had a better career than safin on clay. That is debatable seeing as how safin has done something of significance at RG.

Rex

04-16-2005, 08:14 PM

he is number 1- but their is no player on earth whom is perfect and will never lose.

nkhera1

04-16-2005, 09:44 PM

What was Federer's record last year up to this point. I think its about the same, and this year Fed won the Nasdaq 100 to make up for the Australian Open. Also I think a reason why BHH may have said Fed is getting worse is because he is having a difficult time against some players and not beating them as easily as he did last year. However, I don't agree with that.

Pea

04-16-2005, 09:56 PM

How sad.

sigmagirl91

04-16-2005, 10:03 PM

Very dumb people out there if they can't even differentiate between the words "worse" and "bad". Now tell me smart ones, did I say he was bad? :confused: Maybe you guys didn't really read what I said back there except the topic. You guys can write, but can you read? Are you reading this? :retard:

Actually "worse" is the comparative of "bad". If you are comparing his performance this year to last year, you're saying "worse", but in actuality, you're saying he's "bad" this year.

BHH1988

04-16-2005, 11:22 PM

First of all, I think you guys, not me, are very sour about Federer's loss to Gasquet. I never ever even mentioned that match, and I wasn't thinking of the loss when I made this post. I'm not complaining or anything either. I'm just noting that he is getting worse, and that as a big fan of his, I hope he recognizes what he's failing to do this year that he achieved last year, not in terms of numbers or wins or losses or whatever, but just in his game. Maybe you guys don't see the difference because you don't have any recordings of Federer from last year or something. My kid brother watches the pacific life open final form last year a lot, and everytime I look at the screen, I see some insane shot by Federer that he rarely does now, even in finals. I do agree though that his backhand is getting better and his volleys too, especially since I'm seeing a lot more down the line backhand winners from him. However, I think it's happening at the expense of what's more important in his game, which is his fluidity, impeccable forehand, and pressure-oblivious serve. And I disagree with the one who said that he played better in the AO semifinal this year than he played in the US open final last year. He hasn't played nearly as well as he did in last year's final this year even once. Think back to his Australian open last year and his pacific life last year and his us open last year. He has yet to play that well this year. There's nothing wrong with getting better, but there's also nothing wrong with his style of play last year. He can play that same style only better and it'll be fine. He shouldn't change his fluid style to get better. That's unnecessary.

BHH1988

04-16-2005, 11:26 PM

and oh yea, I UNDERSTAND that other people are getting better. That's part of the deal when someone of Federer's stature lands in the sport of tennis. He raises the bar for everyone, and everyone gets better to catch up. BUT AGAIN, I'M NOT COMPARING HIM TO EVERYONE ELSE! Don't be stupid. Read, then write. Are you reading this? Nope, I didn't think so.

BangAndOlufsen

04-16-2005, 11:35 PM

There is one GLARING statistic this year that indicates a bit of a downslide in Federer's match performance. His Tiebreak record:
2004 21-5
2005 8-6 so far

Last year, he was practically invincible in tiebreaks, and won so many big ones - esp. AO Final with Safin, Wimby & TMS Canada finals with Roddick, USO Final v. Hewitt, TMC SF against Safin, etc. This year, he was unfortunate to lose the one big one at AO to Safin. I guess these things have a way of somewhat evening themselves out over time and the year is still young, but I hope he improves that tiebreak winning %.

BlackSilver

04-17-2005, 12:02 AM

but there's also nothing wrong with his style of play last year. He can play that same style only better and it'll be fine. He shouldn't change his fluid style to get better. That's unnecessary.

The only thing that I noticed is that his forehand is a little less smooth than last year, otherwise I don't really understand about what are you talking about.

NYCtennisfan

04-17-2005, 01:39 AM

What was Federer's record last year up to this point. I think its about the same, and this year Fed won the Nasdaq 100 to make up for the Australian Open.

NOt counting Davis Cup, last year going into Rome Federer was 22-3. He's 35-2 this year and has had match points in both of his losses. Yep. Time to call it quits Fed. You suck. :)

WyveN

04-17-2005, 07:31 AM

On clay, Fed is always vulnerable, with so many clay court specialists being able to rally with him from the back...and it's very hard for any shot maker to 'hit through' the clay

strangely enough thats what Gasquet did to beat Fed.

Auscon

04-17-2005, 08:19 AM

methinks some Federer fans have some seriously unrealistic expectations for their charger

its a shame too, because the guy is clearly the best of the best, but he has one loss on his non-preferred surface, and threads pop up left and right questioning his current capabilities

Puschkin

04-17-2005, 08:31 AM

I don't think Roger plays worse than last year. One tends to forget the close matches he had then as well, not all of them were pure magic as the US Open Final.

But it certainly adds to the pressure to defend a year like 2004 which makes things look more tense and less smooth than last year. It is more difficult to stay nr. 1 weeks in weeks out than to get there. Personally, I rank his hard-fought victories this year (Rotterdam, Dubai, Miami) higher than some of the clean-sweaps last year.

Doris Loeffel

04-17-2005, 02:44 PM

But it certainly adds to the pressure to defend a year like 2004 which makes things look more tense and less smooth than last year. It is more difficult to stay nr. 1 weeks in weeks out than to get there.

I agree on that Puschkin!! Somehow I even agree with BHH1988. Just maybe the wording isn't quite right.

But I feel sometimes too his game isn't as smooth as it was last year or shall I better call it careless. I mean last year he really hat nothing to lose at all - he could play his style of play and it worked perfectly. Now I sometimes have the feeling he wants to play too good he wants to keep up with all the compliments he got he doesn't just want to win but win in style and therefore I believe he produces some errors that really are not necessary. Guess he puts himself and especially his way of playing the game to much under pressure and wants to make it even more perfecte than it already is. And that's getting him in trouble. Sometimes I feel he needs to get that careless style of play back just play for fun and not for the result and not for the recordbooks. Has he given a bagel yet to anybody this season not that I can remember and by this time of last year he has already given out a handful I believe. Meybe he's experimenting a bit more in the early rounds now to work on his shots - what do we know??

And I guess he also feels that the others were getting used to is game and therefore he felt like he needs to change something and you can notice that how he's attacking the net and his volleys got even better. But every change needs its time. And honestly after my first disapointment about his second loss of the year where he again had mps (and I agree here with BHH1988 that last year he just would have served an ace or a service winner on such occasions - yes I know I'm maybe one of these fans who's expecting far to much from Roger or just got tooo spoiled by Roger winning all the time ;) And yet I still feel as the no 1 player he actually should be able to close a match on such occasions - alright alright I admitt it I am setting the standards to high...) Now I even believe it's good for him that he lost. He get's off some pressure of his back and that won't harm - he's not that superhuman anymore just plain and simple human who still might lose a match once in a while and a human how know that he needs to work on some parts of his game to keep the spot he likes so much.

Experimentee

04-17-2005, 03:35 PM

agree with experimentee
(except the part about being "blown off court by Marat" --he lost 9-7, in a fifth, that's hardly being blown off court)

When I said blown off the court I meant that Marat hit many powerful winners that Roger couldnt do anything about, so I meant in terms of the shots, not the scoreline.

YoursTruly

04-17-2005, 03:39 PM

I like your definition of "worse" :)

You have to admit though, he's ahead of the pack by a great distance. Fed is super cool as a player and person, but it always always impresses me how even though it's not his day or if an opponent comes out really prepared to play Roger, he still claws his way out and finds a way to win. Then afterwards points out the great things about his opponent. That's a true champion. And you can see that in 2005, he's had a lot of close three-setters going like 7-6 in the third with him still winning. I hope he wins the French Open.

BHH1988

04-17-2005, 11:12 PM

I agree with both Doris and Yourstruly. I did notice that Federer has improved in his fighting spirit. Rarely last year did he have a close match and have to fight his way back, and this year he's done it a few times already, and he's certainly improved in that area. Also, I think Doris is right about how he just didn't have pressure last year and this year he does. I guess that's what happens when you start to realize what you're doing. Once you figure out how well you're doing, you start thinking too much and you don't perform as well as you used to. It'll be interesting to see if Federer can pick it back up though. I hope he does!